Source: NY Times
By Livia Albeck-Ripka
Read more: https://www.nytimes.com/2022/06/30/us/c ... -fire.htmlA fast-growing fire near South Yuba River State Park in Nevada County, Calif., about 70 miles northeast of Sacramento, has grown to more than 900 acres in two days, prompting evacuation orders for hundreds of residents of nearby communities, the authorities said Thursday.
The blaze, named the Rices fire, is one of more than 50 large wildfires and complexes that have burned across parts of the United States so far this year, according to the National Interagency Fire Center. Those fires have collectively burned more than two million acres in 12 states, the center said.
Wildfires are increasing in size and intensity in the Western United States, and their seasons are growing longer. Recent research has suggested that heat and dryness associated with climate change are factors in the increase in bigger and stronger fires.
The Rices fire began in a structure at 2 p.m. on Tuesday, according to the authorities. As of Thursday afternoon, it was about 12 percent contained and was threatening 250 structures, they said.